On Sunday, 50 days will have passed since the first leg match. Frosinone had won it 2-0, but with the first goal 10′ from the end, on a corner, and with the extra man. The challenge of the “Stirpe” is probably Catanzaro’s biggest regret so far, who had not limited himself to resisting even when outnumbered, he had responded blow for blow and yet had also paid for the inability to materialize the various opportunities created, the most evident flaw in one of the best performances of the season, perhaps the best considering the value of the opponent: arriving in the area four or five times without hitting can become a cardinal sin against anyone, even more so in front of one of the best teams of the tournament.
In short, on that occasion the difference was in the details that tilted the episodes towards one side, not in the more general context that showed one team on the same level as the other. It’s true, in the standings there are nine points of difference between the Lazio team who are third in the tournament and the Calabrian team who are fifth, but the level that seemed much higher in the initial part of the championship is now similar.
Just take a look at the performance of the last 20 matchdays, that is, at the end of the Giallorossi’s initial series of six draws. Since then Aquilani and his players have obtained 38 points, Alvini’s group 39: we are there, the fifth haul in the period for Catanzaro, the fourth for Frosinone. Among other things, it is the same for both even if we start counting from the end of the eighth day, after two defeats in a row for one (Monza and Padua) and the other (Venice and Monza).
Once Catanzaro turned, they had the same pace as the real surprise of this Serie B: the distinction lies in the direct clash of the first leg as well as in the start with different gears, but the return leg can at least momentarily modify the relationship and give an extra push to Iemmello and company, launched in search of the fifth victory in a row for the second time (after the five already achieved between November and December).
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